Riverwalk and Birding in Manokwari Lowland Forest

Papuan Hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus)

Manokwari is an important destination for Birdwatchers and Jungle Lovers. There is a huge lowland forest area in northwest region of Manokwari where visitors can visit to enjoy river-walk and birding activities for several days. There are no guesthouses in the jungle. We provide tents which visitors can use during the tour. The lowland forest is the natural habitat of a lot of birds such as Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Palm Cockatoo, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Magnificent Riflebird, Papuan Hornbill, Little Egret, Little-ringed Plover, Dollarbird, Black-capped Lory, Rainbow Lorikeet, Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, and a lot more. 

ITINERARY

Riverwalk in Lowland Forest of Manokwari

Destination: Lowland Forest of Manokwari (Mesirrokow river-forest area)

Duration: 3 days

Activities: Hiking, Birding, Camping

Day 1

I will meet you in Manokwari city

Usually, I will bring you to Polres Manokwari (local police station) to get Surat Jalan (Travel Permit). You could do it alone by showing your passports. The police staff speaks English.

After that we will go to the market to buy food.

We will go by a public transportation that we charter to northwest of Manokwari.

It takes approximately 1 hour to reach the forest. After that we will walk into the forest to reach Campsite 1.

We will have some tea/ coffee and begin our birding walk along the sides of the river. We will do night walk to find Large-tailed Nightjar

Day 2

We can do early morning walk to watch birds such as Papuan Hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus) Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) and Yellow-faced Myna (Mino dumontii). After lunch, we can dismantle our tents and walk deeper into the jungle to watch Eclectus Parrot, Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), Variable Goshawk, Moluccan King Parrot, Pinon Imperial Pigeon (Ducula pinon), Beautiful Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus pulchellus), Great Cuckoo Dove, Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot (Micropsitta keiensis), and a lot of other birds that make the Mesirrokow forest as its natural habitat

Overnight stay in the jungle in Campsite 2.
In addition to birds, we can see butterflies such as the Cruiser Butterfly (Vindula arsinoe), New Guinea Clipper (Parthenos tigrina), Blue Mountain Swallowtail, The Silky Owl Butterfly and other colorful beetles as well including the Eupholus beetle.

Day 3

Camping in lowland forest of Manokwari

We can still do birding in the morning to find Black-capped Lory, Vulturine/ Pesquet Parrot, Olive-crowned Flowerpecker (Dicaeum pectorale), Moluccan King Parrot (Alisterus amboinensis). After brunch (combined breakfast and lunch), we will dismantle our tents and walk back to mainroad again. We will return to Manokwari city in the afternoon by public transportation.

Other activites: 

Visitors can enjoy swimming, fishing (bring your own fishing rod, hook and nylon line) to catch freshwater fish. There are butterflies, grasshopper and beetles and other insects in the lowland forest which visitors can see and take pictures. 

Flowers:

Monochoria vaginalis

Flowers such as morning glory, Water Hychinth (Monochoria vaginalis), Scarlet Jade Vine (Mucuna bennetti), Blue Tumpet Vine (Thunbergia grandiflora), New Guinea Tulip (Spathodea campanulata), Terrestrial orchid (Spathoglottis plicata), White Glory Vine (Faradaya splendida) can be seen in the jungle

Cost: ... rupiahs

The cost includes: public transportation between Manokwari and Mesirrokow forest, food materials as contact materials with local people, payment to land owners, local guides.

The cost does not include: transportation between airport and Manokwari city upon arrival and departure, food and hotel accommodation in Manokwari city before and after the tour, travel insurance and other personal expenses.

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

We provide:

Tents for camping, sleeping bag, cooking and eating utensils, spotting scope and binoculars for birding, solar powered lamps at night.

What visitors need to bring:

Serious birdwatchers usually bring their own birding gear such as binoculars, spotting scopes and field guide book "Birds of New Guinea" written by Thane K. Pratt and Bruce Beehler. Flashlight/ torch, bathing suit if you want to swim in the river, ziploc/ plastic bags to protect your electronics during the birding tour, insect repellent lotion.

Please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or send text message/ whatsapp: +6281332245180.